Fire torches cars at Franklin’s Garage

The fire that struck Franklin's Garage was contained in a pile of burning rubble, but not before it destroyed several vehicles in back of the building.

SoVaNow.com / October 04, 2013

A Thursday afternoon fire in back of Franklin’s Garage on U.S. 58 sent plumes of smoke in the air and brought traffic on the busy highway to a near halt, but damages from the conflagration were light.

According to South Boston Fire Chief Steve Phillips, the fire destroyed an old van and scrap vehicle parts, as well as a pile of discarded wooden pallets.

The fire, spotted around 5 p.m., came just after South Boston firefighters were called out to a vehicle fire on U.S. 58, a short distance east of Franklin’s near World of Sports. The South Boston Fire Department had extinguished that blaze and its members were heading back to the station when they responded to the Franklin’s fire.

The two incidents are not thought to be related.

Rising smoke from the scrap yard behind Franklin’s was visible from the highway, drawing a quick response from firefighters and other emergency personnel. Phillips said 19 firefighters put out the blaze, with South Boston assisted by the Midway, Cluster Springs and Turbeville departments. Virgilina also sent a tanker and Halifax covered for the South Boston station while town firefighters were on the scene.

Phillips said no one knows exactly how the fire originated, whether from a spark or a discarded cigarette that caught fire amid the current dry conditions. There were no buildings or structures threatened by the blaze, he said.